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Families are under threat, and need protecting as never before. The nation which devalues them puts itself in peril. That is just a mild sample of the rhetoric we can expect to hear in the coming months as the family becomes part of the political battleground.

On 'All Things Considered' this week (Sunday 17 January at 8.30am, repeated on Wednesday 20 January at 6.30pm) Roy Jenkins and a panel of guests discuss the changing face of the family.

With marriage rates at their lowest since counting began 150 years ago, in many communities only a minority of children are part of what's usually regarded as a traditional family.

Are campaigners right to be alarmed at this? Should government be using tax and benefit systems to alter it? Or should we be more honest about the failings in families of all kinds, and more relaxed about new models which people are increasingly choosing.

For further information:

Care for the Family, Garth House, Leon Avenue, Cardiff CF15 7RG

Tel: (029) 2081 0800 Email: mail@cff.org.uk Web: Care for the Family